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Local area not likely to see flood hazards

Midland Daily News

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, December 27, 2008

Midland County's emergency services coordinator is an astute watcher of rivers, rain and snow, but it was impossible for him to predict Saturday night, for certain, what kind of wetness Midland-area residents would have to navigate this morning.

Still, Roger Garner said a quick cold snap earlier this month and a manageable amount of rain this weekend are favorable signs that are likely to keep the area out of flooding conditions.

"I don't think overall that we've gotten quite as much rain as they were forecasting that we might get," he said.

There were concerns that Saturday's rain and resulting snow melt would cause the Tittabawassee and other nearby rivers to rise. But by 5:45 p.m. Saturday, the river level was 14.89 feet, well under flood stage of 22 feet. Garner knew rain was likely Saturday night, but the river had risen less than six-tenths of an inch since early Saturday morning.

One thing in Midland's favor is that the frost hasn't settled deep into the ground, and that means some of the snow soaked in rather than running toward the river.

"We've gotten a lot of snow before it got really cold and that insulated the ground," Garner said.

The company that operates the Sanford Lake dam, Boyce Hydro, has drawn down the lake level for the past couple of weeks. "I can tell that because I can see stumps above the ice," Garner said.

That's another good point because the lake wouldn't be high if it began receiving more water. "They're not at a situation where they have to open the spill gates at the dam and start spilling water immediately," Garner said.

The nearby counties of Gratiot, Isabella and Gladwin didn't get any more rain than Midland County did, and that's also a good sign because water from those areas eventually runs into the Tittabawassee, Garner said.

"When we all get a bunch of rain and we all get a bunch of snow melt, then we're in trouble."

If residents should awaken this morning to a flood warning from the national Weather Service, Garner wouldn't be surprised, even if predictions don't call for the river to crest until Monday. The weather service bases its forecasts on calculations and is likely to make conservative predictions, Garner said.

On Saturday, the City of Midland received half an inch of rain between midnight and early evening. City Utilities Director Noel Bush said he received one complaint, standing water in two outer lanes of the intersection of Buttles and Ashman streets downtown. The cause? A malfunctioning plug city workers had installed to redirect water. The problem was fixed quickly.

"We had barricades out and so people were directed around it," Bush said.

Fortunately, water ran under snowbanks into city catch basins, he said.

For law enforcement and public-service workers riding around the city or county, fog caused problems of its own, with visibility ranging from blocks to a few feet.

The Midland Fire Department received no calls of water making its way into basements and causing electrical problems, said Battalion Chief Ron Shaffer. Thunderstorms, such as the one that occurred Saturday morning, sometimes cause automatic alarms at businesses to be set off. But that didn't happen, either. Nor were there any downed power lines.

Winds that began to stir Saturday night might be a warning of gusty conditions this morning. Garner noted a fast cold front is on its way, pushing out the rain but spawning winds that could reach 20-30 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph. That could cause power line problems and, if streets are still wet, they could become slippery.

If local residents hear flood warnings today, Garner suggests people not be overly concerned. Conditions are likely to be the same kind that happen every year. The City of Midland will put barricades on low-lying streets and people will be advised to watch for ponding water.

"By Monday, it's going to be getting cold again," he said. "Once it goes to freezing or below, that slows down or pretty much stops the runoff."

With roughly 200 miles of streets in the city, Bush said city workers can't possibly drive everywhere. He suggests Midlanders act as eyes and ears for workers and report any problems they see by calling 911. City crews will respond as they receive reports.